Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Steiff teddy bear all dressed up for a wedding
10 December 2018This very rare bear shown below made a very high price for such a small fellow – just 14cm (5½in) high.
Caterpillar tracked
10 December 2018Bram van der Stok MBE was not only the most decorated aviator in Dutch history and one of just three men to successfully flee POW Camp Stalag Luft III in the ‘Great Escape’, but also a proud member of the Caterpillar Club.
German doll looks pretty good in original clothes
10 December 2018Despite some condition issues, such as composite body, right hand thumb missing and slight damage to fingers and feet, this bisque head Kämmer & Reinhardt 109 doll sold for £3900 at Hansons (20% buyer’s premium) on November 23.
Collector's tips: what affects the value of a First World War Victory Medal group?
30 November 2018Rarity is one of the key drivers when it comes to demand. So how do you add value to a medal which was awarded to about 5,725,000 British and Imperial recipients?
Adam Smith's own copy of Wealth of Nations comes to auction estimated at £500,000-800,000
28 November 2018Adam Smith’s personal copy of his first edition of his great work the Wealth of Nations is coming up at auction as part of Christie’s Books and Manuscripts sale on December 12 in London.
Five toy and model lots to watch out for at upcoming auctions
27 November 2018A selection of lots coming up in either dedicated toy and model auctions or sections within larger sales.
Pick of the Week: Lalique buckle is auction belter at Tennants
26 November 2018An unusual belt buckle by the Parisian jeweller and glass maker René Lalique which had been worn by the vendor throughout her nursing career has sold for £19,000 at a North Yorkshire auction.
Flying Scotsman steams to £64,500 nameplate record at Worcestershire auction
26 November 2018An original nameplate for what is probably the most famous steam engine in the world, the Flying Scotsman, has sold for a record price of £64,500 (plus 12% buyer’s premium).
C&T bucks trend by launching antiques and collectors sales
26 November 2018C&T Auctioneers of Kent is launching antiques and collectors sales, with its first taking place on April 3 next year.
Five posters to watch out for at auction and selection of fascinating designs already sold including a hammer horror classic
22 November 2018A look at upcoming stand-out lots in poster sales held around the world, along with a round-up of recent highlights – including a hammer horror classic sold by a London dealer and an Edward Wadsworth design at a Dorset auction.
Flying Scotsman original locomotive nameplate soars to a record high of £64,500 at auction
21 November 2018For what is probably the world’s most famous and popular steam engine, the Flying Scotsman has experienced a remarkably troubled history at times.
Auctions showcase David Bowie as musician, artist and collector
20 November 2018Not only was David Bowie a rather good musician, but he turned his talents to art as well. His diverse talents are encapsulated by two lots sold in separate UK auctions, with the first coming at Suffolk saleroom Bishop & Miller on November 10.
Timely online search enables son to buy back his father's First World War pocket watch
19 November 2018When Alan Wardle’s niece searched online for family history she uncovered his father’s long-lost First World War presentation pocket watch coming up at auction.
Poster warns of the horror of gas
19 November 2018The new terrors of the First World War also encompassed gas. The initial major attack was launched on the Eastern Front by the Germans in January 1915, then on the Western Front at Ypres three months later against French colonial troops.
Exhibition marks special RAF centenary
19 November 2018In April this year Spink held an exhibition to mark the centenary of the founding of the RAF, ahead of a dedicated section in its two-day Orders, Decorations and Medals sale the same month.
Flying high with early relics
19 November 2018In this year also marking the centenary of the RAF, Bosleys’ (20% buyer’s premium) fourth annual sale of aviation collectables on September 13, held in conjunction with (and at) sister auction house Marlows in Stafford, included a large number of related items.
Preview: medal groups of five brothers who served in the Great War, with only two coming home
19 November 2018If anything sums up the sense of slaughter that came from the British experience of the First World War and how that affected so many families, it is a lot coming up in Bonhams’ November 21 Medals, Bonds, Banknotes and Coins auction.
Preview: medals sum up the 'world' status of the Great War
19 November 2018Before the Iraq invasions in 1991 and 2003 Britain was involved in military operations in the region in both world wars.
On a wing and a prayer: the early war in the air
19 November 2018A Distinguished Flying Cross medal group offered at Stroud Auctions (18% buyer’s premium) on November 7-8 underlines the sometimes rudimentary nature of the embyonic early war in the air.
Sale forms tribute to a true militaria expert
19 November 2018C&T Auctioneers’ (20% buyer’s premium) November 6 sale titled After the Great War Centenary also marked the final slice of a three-part offering of what specialist Matthew Tredwen called “one of the finest collections of First World War German militaria to have been sold at auction in the UK”.